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Phyllis Carlin, Miami's avatar

Your recommendations sound great so thanks! Am reading a bit of F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Beautiful & the Damned--myself because he, like Wharton, always gets me immediately engaged with the characters. It's not that I like the characters or want everything to go well for them, but that I am immediately intrigued enough to want to see what happens to them. As to my recommendation for the New Year, read Wikipedia about "John Hawkes", get excited, and then read " The Lime Twig " .

Happy New Year to all! 🍾🎉😎

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Torrie's avatar

I’ve been curious about Collected Works since seeing it on people’s best of 2023 lists. Thank you for the review! I may give this one a go early in 2024. Happy New Year to you and your family, Sara! I’m grateful for another year of Fiction Matters that has brought so many good books, and good friends into my life.

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Kathleen Clare Waller's avatar

LOVR Custom of the Country - one of my all time favourites. Hope you enjoy it! the Fraud is in my very soon to be read pile. Can’t wait. Thanks for some great recs and Happy New Year!

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Lily's avatar

Talking of cover design, I am obsessed with the makeover In Memoriam is getting for the US paperback, as well has how different both the US covers are form the UK one. I would read a long essay on that alone.

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Stacey Chin's avatar

Oh I appreciate so much the comparison to Swimming Lessons for Collected Works, because that is a book I hated, and I've been intrigued by Collected Works, but based on that (and your review) I think I can safely give it a miss.

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